What’s All the Hub Bub? A Post-Occupancy Evaluation of BruinHub
In Fall 2021, a space for UCLA student commuters known as BruinHub, was established. BruinHub was intended for long-distance commuters in particular—those who travel 60 minutes or more one-way to and from campus. BruinHub amenities include couches, chairs, desks, tables, a microwave, fridge, a food cart with snacks, 32 lockers, and five pods, which can be used for resting or sleeping. The creation of BruinHub was the combined effort of UCLA Campus Life, UCLA Recreation, and cityLAB, a design research center housed under the School of Architecture.
A year after its operation, the team behind BruinHub wanted to know whether BruinHub has achieved its goal of providing a space of respite for UCLA commuters and housing insecure or homeless students. BruinHub started out as a prototype and this evaluation is necessary to see how well the space is working. BruinHub and the evaluation is situated within the larger problem of students experiencing long-distance commutes and various forms of precarities, including housing, financial, and food insecurity.
My role involved conducting an evaluation upon the one-year opening of BruinHub to learn whether BruinHub is targeting the right audience and how to increase outreach to further benefit the intended audience. Primary research questions for this project are:
The overarching finding from this study is that BruinHub is the first step in the right direction in addressing the needs of long-distance commuters. However, there are more improvements that can be implemented in order to reach its full potential, especially by prioritizing and directly serving its intended audience.
Recommendations to come out of this study involve spatial recommendations, programming recommendations, and recommendations for outreach and data collection. While many of the suggested improvements will be challenging to implement, students and staff must actively advocate for the changes. The newly opened second location, BruinHub Strathmore, presents an opportunity to address many of the current concerns and service gaps that BruinHub experiences.
In Fall 2021, a space for UCLA student commuters known as BruinHub, was established. BruinHub was intended for long-distance commuters in particular—those who travel 60 minutes or more one-way to and from campus. BruinHub amenities include couches, chairs, desks, tables, a microwave, fridge, a food cart with snacks, 32 lockers, and five pods, which can be used for resting or sleeping. The creation of BruinHub was the combined effort of UCLA Campus Life, UCLA Recreation, and cityLAB, a design research center housed under the School of Architecture.
A year after its operation, the team behind BruinHub wanted to know whether BruinHub has achieved its goal of providing a space of respite for UCLA commuters and housing insecure or homeless students. BruinHub started out as a prototype and this evaluation is necessary to see how well the space is working. BruinHub and the evaluation is situated within the larger problem of students experiencing long-distance commutes and various forms of precarities, including housing, financial, and food insecurity.
My role involved conducting an evaluation upon the one-year opening of BruinHub to learn whether BruinHub is targeting the right audience and how to increase outreach to further benefit the intended audience. Primary research questions for this project are:
-
Does BruinHub serve the intended target audience of long-distance commuters,
including commuters who experience some form of housing insecurity?
-
What changes to the current and proposed BruinHub program(s) would further
benefit the intended audience?
The overarching finding from this study is that BruinHub is the first step in the right direction in addressing the needs of long-distance commuters. However, there are more improvements that can be implemented in order to reach its full potential, especially by prioritizing and directly serving its intended audience.
Recommendations to come out of this study involve spatial recommendations, programming recommendations, and recommendations for outreach and data collection. While many of the suggested improvements will be challenging to implement, students and staff must actively advocate for the changes. The newly opened second location, BruinHub Strathmore, presents an opportunity to address many of the current concerns and service gaps that BruinHub experiences.
See the poster below as well as the report for findings and recommendations!
Click here to view the report
Click here to view the policy brief
Click here for a PDF of the poster
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Click here to view the report
Click here to view the policy brief
Click here for a PDF of the poster
